Pecos Benedictine Monastery

                                                                                                                                                            I made a retreat to the Benedictine Abbey of Our Lady of Guadalupe in Pecos, New Mexico this past weekend. The Monastery is nestled in a scenic valley of the Pecos river at the base of the Santa Fe Mountains. It is located 25 miles east of Santa Fe along interstate I-25. The land on which the 1000 acre property rests has historic roots dating back to the Pecos Pueblo Indians of the early 1200's and later the Spanish colonials, starting in the 1500's. Fast forwarding to the 20th century, from 1908-1947, the land was utilized by the famous Valley Ranch, a dude guest operation, and from 1948-1955 by Trappist monks. The Benedictines first settled here in 1955. They named their possession Our Lady of Guadalupe Monastery. From its inception, the monastery has served as a center for retreats. From the start the community was active in Marriage Encounter and family retreats. It also served and a center for charismatic renewal, from 1969 until 1983. It is home to Dove Publications, featuring Catholic religious books and pamphlets.
The Benedictine community residing at the Pecos abbey belongs to the Congregation of Our Lady of Monte Oliveto, an Italian monastic community dating from 1319. The 8 monks and 1 nun who currently occupy the abbey adhere to the rule of Saint Benedict, which was promulgated by the great Saint himself in the 6th century. They abide daily in a life of prayer, silence and listening, community gatherings,  rituals and productive work. "Ora et labora"- prayer and work are inseparable adages of Saint Benedict's rule. They also adhere to Chapter 53 of Saint Benedict's rule  that counsels the monastics, "Every guest is to be received as Christ". Benedictine hospitality is legend. At Our Lady of Guadalupe Monastery guests  can come for a day, a week or longer. They are invited to participate in daily prayers, the Mass and community meals. They may also volunteer to work at the Monastery as needed.The Abbey can accommodate up to 50 guests at a time in private rooms or hermitages. Spiritual direction is also available by request.

The highlight of my stay at Our Lady of Guadalupe Monastery was participation in daily prayers with the monks. The whole practice of interrupting one's day for the purpose of prayer is such a foreign notion to American work productivity but makes perfect sense if we are truly seeking spiritual balance in our daily lives.  The Benedictines come together for prayers and Mass in their chapel 5 times daily, called by the ringing of bells. The morning prayer, "Lauds"  begins at 7 AM and is a song of praise to the Lord. This morning we sang antiphonally Psalms 5 and 19.  Psalm 5 begins " I lift up my heart to you, O Lord, and you will hear my morning prayer" and ends with the verse, "It is you who bless the just one, O Lord, you surround him with favor like a shield."  Psalm 19 contains this verse of praise which has personal appeal for me as a married man and former cross-country runner, " There he has placed a tent for the sun; it comes forth like a bridegroom coming from his tent, rejoices like a champion to run his course".  After Lauds, Mass - a celebration of the Eucharist occurs. The main prayer of the Mass, the Eucharistic Prayer, transforms the bread and wine into the Body and Blood of Jesus Christ. A bell rings out to mark this transformation, which becomes a transformation of ourselves. When we receive communion, we receive Jesus Christ. From a spiritual perspective we seek to follow the words of St. Paul, who said, " It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me." Following Mass, the community gathers in relative silence for breakfast. There is time for silent meditation and prayer or community work after breakfast. At 12 noon, the community happily regathers in the chapel for midday prayer. This is echoed in Psalm 26, " O Lord, I love the house where you dwell, the place where your glory abides." And in Psalm 39 we are reminded to pray to the Lord for our needs, " O Lord, give heed to my prayer; turn your ear to my cry; do not be deaf to my weeping."  Lunch follows the mid-day prayer followed by time for reflection or recreation. I was able to walk along the Pecos river to Monastery Lake on the north side of the property. The wind rustled the tall marsh grass and hawks circled overhead - the overriding impression was harmony in nature created for our enjoyment by God. In the evening, a rosary was said at 5 PM followed by Vesper prayers before dinner.  At 7:30 PM the community meets in the chapel for the day's final prayers ,what are called Compline. In Psalm 15 David asks of the Lord for us, " Lord, who may abide in your tent and dwell on your holy mountain?"  And the same Psalm answers, " Whoever walks without fault, who does what is just, and speaks the truth from his heart." After Compline, the bells ring out to mark night and its silence. We retire to our rooms or hermitages where we open our hearts to the Spirit, requesting His guidance and protection, and pray to be worthy of the promises of Christ.
 As I'm preparing to leave the monastery it strikes me that the spiritual balance the Benedictine monks achieve in their monastic prayer life is available to the rest of us outside the monastery walls, if we remain engaged in prayer and always seek ways to please God, be that in our marriages, our parenthood and in our occupations. For Catholic pilgrims, that means asking God daily for His blessing and guidance.
For information on retreats at Pecos Benedictine Monastery, click on

Our Lady of Guadalupe Abbey - Pecos, New Mexico

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For a photographic montage of Pecos Benedictine Monastery click on

Our Lady of Guadalupe Abbey - Pecos Benedictine Monastery ...

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